Wednesday, 27 May 2015

I really can't believe that I'm writing this, but it really has been a tough time for Kia. As I posted when I launched her "Change Lives" appeal last week, she was all set for surgery on Tuesday morning. I picked her up from the kennels in plenty of time and let her have a little shuffle on three legs to go to the toilet before she set off on her journey to a new start. She was really happy to be out, and having a sniff, then she pulled to sniff somewhere again, and it happened..... her other cruciate snapped! Unbelievable, such a gorgeous girl. She was clearly distressed and in pain, unable to put any pressure on either back leg. Moorview Vets were brilliant again, and rushed her in immediately for x-rays.

Weighing just under 35kgs, Kia is too big a dog to repair both legs at once, the decision has been made to repair one and then in about 6-8 weeks go through the hole process again.

I have spoken to the vets today, and she is doing well after her first operation, but they want to keep her in for a couple of days to encourage her to weight bare on the repaired leg.

Kia is a brave girl, and will get all the support she needs from us, the vets and her temporary foster Mum Anne (thank you!). But she also needs your help.....

Obviously two operations means two vets bills to pay. We really do need your help with these, and would like to thank everyone who has donated on her fundraising page already. You can donate towards Kia's operations and recovery here:

A little bit of good news from Jane as well though. You will no doubt remember Anastasia who arrived with us in horrendous shape. Clearly having just been bred from. Well below are before and after pictures, as she is now fully settled in her new home.

Sometimes this job is so hard, your emotions just get numb to it all, but transformations like this give you the will to go on.....

I had some really sad news earlier this week as our good friend Jane from 'Fall in love with a Rescue' informed me a girl that had really tugged on my heart strings had passed away. Molly came to us as a stray, covered in lumps and bumps and looking like she had just had a litter. She had a gorgeous face and eyes you could get list in. She definately had a story to tell. Jane took her on to find her a home..... and she certainly did, with Jane.

Molly died suddenly on Monday morning. Perhaps there was something more sinister going on, but she left us loved and with a heartbroken family behind. Run free Molly.....

Thursday, 21 May 2015

Kia came to us after being threatened with a vets needle..... she faced destruction. I think this isn't the place to tell her story, but I think the way she cowers everytime you move your hand towards her head tells its own.

Kia has slowly learnt to trust us, but typically just when she was having fun she faced another setback, by rupturing her cruciate ligament.

Her surgery will cost us a fortune depending on how bad the ligament is damaged, we won't know till she has her xrays on Tuesday 26th May 2015. That's why we need your help.....

We have set a target of raising £1,000 to help towards her vets bills and rehab after her op. We've given ourselves two months to raise it and would really appreciate anything you can afford to donate. Every little bit helps and we really want to give this beautiful girl the best.....

We are also looking for a Forever Foster home for her and even a temporary one whilst she recovers after surgery. If you'd like to know more please email: foreverfoster@shak.org.uk

I think one of the most rewarding parts of this job is the progress that we make when trying to help the dogs get over their fears and make friends. Kai and Maisie are great at this, and now their little group keeps growing. It was great getting them all out today..... Kai, Maisie, Daisy, Lilly and Avril.

Also we have been doing a lot of work with Max, and I'm sure you'll agree he looks brilliant alongside Shanty. So proud of both of them, learning the outside world and other dogs can be fun!

Tuesday, 19 May 2015

After work I came home and started getting our SHAK Foster dogs out. It was great fun, but I guess this next picture is more for the people who have been to the kennels. Who'd of ever thought Scout and Bandit would live together.....

Monday, 18 May 2015

I wrote what is below a year ago today, and having lost Kye on Thursday the first sentence seems even more prominent now. None of us will ever forget Ava, Rachel adored her, and as we swim these dark waters right now the memory of SHAK's Grandma stands out like a beacon..... that we must carry on.....

In a week that just seems to get harder, today was another day that will stay etched in my memory forever. We lost Max on Thursday, then we also lost an Akita and a Greyhound we were trying to help, then today me and my family had to say goodbye to our very special Grandma dog. Ava was simply amazing, one of the toughest and bravest dogs I've had the very big privilege of looking after, but today it all became too much. A suspected bone tumour beat our girl, and left a big hole in our hearts and our home.

When I began off on a new adventure and in a new home two years ago, Ava appeared as a stray. She was in one hell of a state, claws growing into her skin, covered in sores and chronic eye and ear infections. When I called the kennels to see how the new dog was, Andrew who used to work for me said "shes waiting to die." As soon as I saw her I knew she had to come home with me, and we started our new lives both together.

We called Ava "Grandma" and that is exactly what she was, always telling the other dogs off if the run around the field was taking too long, and without doubt she was the best snorer I have ever come across! Both canine or human!

She was failing quite fast over the last couple of weeks, especially the last 24 hours, but I'd like to think we spoiled her and she had fun. Below are the last few pictures I took of her, just this week, as she enjoyed the upturn in temperature and weather. I am going to miss her so much. When we set off on this new adventure together I thought she'd be with me forever. I guess now all we have is memories, but in those she will live with me and my family forever.....

Friday, 15 May 2015

Today has been so flat after last nights sad events, and even more so as Max was never far away from my thought, a year on since we lost him.....

Today is a really sad day, as we found Max had slipped away from us in his sleep. Max was SHAK's longest serving resident, and he's a dog we are all going to miss terribly.

Max was living rough in a park when was caught by dog wardens, and travelled to us with his first love Lola. Chronic arthritis never stopped him loving life, and once Lola moved into her new home, he found love in the form of Star. A lot of the progress Star has made since is down to those initial days with Max.

Max was ill a few weeks ago, and I rushed him down to the vets. Blood tests couldn't account for his "spaced out" behaviour, and it was suspected that there could be something neurological or a brain tumour at work. The cost of an MRI scan was beyond us, and to be honest knowing wouldn't assist us in anyway in saving him.

This morning he'd slept away when Melissa and David arrived. The vet confirmed he looked at peace, in this we have to take comfort.

I will never forget Max, he was everything I think a dog should be..... confident in who he was, content and a shaggy old black and tan Crossbreed. Just like the dogs I remember seeing on the streets growing up as a kid. Over the years he has done us all proud, and while I often used to wonder what would of come of him if he'd been left where he was doing so very well for himself in that park, I know he would never of witnessed the love he had from Lola, Star or all of us.

Thursday, 14 May 2015

Life can be so cruel at times, and have such a nasty sting in its tail. These photo's taken this morning were meant to show the progress that had been made by Kye, instead I have just got back from the vets after having to say goodbye for the last time.

When I was doing my checks just before we left tonight I noticed Kye hadn't made it into his bed and was lying on the floor. Not like him at all, and when I did get closer I noticed his breathing was very laboured, he was in serious trouble.

After rushing him to the vets my first suspicions and worst fears were confirmed. A scan and then X Rays showed Kye was suffering from a bloat before a probable stomach torsion (twisted stomach) and needed treatment straight away.

The rest is all really very much a blur as a team of vets and nurses tried to pump his stomach to get rid of the gas and food that was causing the bloat. Then just as we were staring surgery right down the nose we lost him.....

Kye suffered a cardiac arrest, and despite the best attempts from the vets his heart didn't respond. His heart beat had been irregular throughout, and it is suspected that he may of had some other underlying heart problem going on. Either way we have lost a truly amazing boy.

Kye was a dog that I am so proud we were able to help. A dog that taught us so much and provided hope even when he had nothing. To the outside world he showed what can be achieved when a dog is given a chance, and in response to a previous post on here, I'd even started to wipe his eyes.

I think we are all gobsmacked he has gone, given he was so full of life just hours before when these photographs were taken, but I'm so pleased that they show you the dog he had become, or perhaps he always was, and provided a nice closure to his story..... (watch his video below to see his arrival.)

On a personal note I'd like to thank Melissa, David and Rich for having faith in me and Kye and believing he was worth all the work. The relationship they all had with him proved that to be more than the case. I'd also like to thank Darren, Alison, Kat and the nurses at Moorview who put aside Kye's history and battled to save his life like they would any dog. And a special mention to Paul who stood by me throughout the whole ordeal, he made the nigh on impossible, possible.

Another chapter in the history of the work this charity does closes, so much more learnt from experience, and a best friend gone forever.

Was really nice to spend some quality time with Kasey today..... a really lovely girl who has had such a tough time. She was found in a house with her deceased owner, you can only imagine who that was for her. Still looks like she's happy here.....

IMPORTANT STATEMENT APRIL 2018

A Statement From SHAK.....

One of the drawbacks of gaining followers through Facebook, the press and other forms of media is the demand for our expertise is growing beyond a level that is manageable or even acceptable. We are a victim of our own success and with constantly running with around 70 dogs in our care, being such a small charity we are always stretched beyond our limit.

Therefore I think it is important for me to explain exactly where we get our dogs from and who we will deal with. For the past 12 years we have dealt very closely with vets taking destruction cases, local councils taking strays and a few recognised partnered charities that we have built up strong relationships with. Today this is still the case.

As I mentioned space and resources are very short resulting us being unable to take dogs from members of the public and due to time we are ubable to deal with the publuc in any way. Likewise we are not looking to extend our pool of partnered charities or organisations, so can not take dogs from groups we have never worked with before.

It is not out of ignorance, but due to concentrating our time on our own dogs that no unsolicited emails, phonecalls or Facebook messages will be returned.

Thank you for understanding and for all of your support.

Who We Are.....

Stephen Wylie and one of the SHAK dogs Donnie.

And What We Do.....

Celebrating its 10th anniversary on June 19th 2016, SHAK has come a long way since its founder Stephen Wylie uttered those fateful words ‘never again...’ after the shock death of his dog and best friend Shak.

The hundreds of dogs whose lives have been changed because of that loss is testament to a dog that had a lasting imprint on everyone he met.....

Today the registered charity has approximately 70 dogs inits care, offering sanctuary to the ones that really need it or a place to simply become a dog again for others.

Working only with destruction cases from vets, strays anddogs from our trusted charity partners, SHAK does not take in dogs from members of the public. Likewise we are not a rehoming centre, although we do offer the opportunity for people to apply for our Forever Foster project.

We concentrate all of our time, energy and resources directly into the well being of our dogs, enriching lives that others had written off.....

Keep Calm

Ways You Can Donate.....

We are delighted to announce our new partnership with Vodafone, and provide a simple and effective way of you to help us "Save Even More Dogs On Death Row."

Simply text SHAK01 £10 to 70070 to donate to Shak (Safe Homes And Kindness) and make a difference today. You can donate any amount upto £10 by simply changing the amount in the text, and the best thing is we get EVERY penny.

Thanks in advance for your support.

"It's A Dogs Life....."

A Blog page to show all the work that goes on behind the scenes at SHAK.

A brief insight into how our dogs get here, and what they do when they get here…..

(Please note, all opinions and views on here are exactly that, OUR opinions and views ony.)